Recruiting: Oklahoma State trying to build foundation

Brad Underwood inherited an underwhelming Oklahoma State squad, but the former Lumberjack is doing his best to climb out of the Big 12 cellar with his recruiting.

The fairly bare Oklahoma State cupboard will be relying partly on some new faces to try and return the program to the upper half of the Big 12.

The team has a solid core built around Phil Forte, Juwan Evans, Leyton Hammonds, and Mitchell Solomon, but more is needed if this team is to challenge the likes of Baylor and Texas Tech in the middle of the conference.

It’s a good thing then, that former Stephen F. Austin coach Brad Underwood has hit the ground hard with recruiting. He managed to hold onto the majority of Travis Ford’s class, losing just Gorjok Gak to Florida after the coaching change.

As of right now, six guys are journeying towards Stillwater with the intention of making Gallagher-Iba arena one of the most feared places in college sports.

The best new face is forward Cameron McGriff. The 23rd best small forward per ESPN, McGriff is listed at 6’7″, 205. This is a pretty nice frame for a Big 12 swing man, though maybe a bit light for now if he is needed in the post.

As with many players his age and skill level, McGriff is a slasher who can finish at the hoop, but struggles with his jump shot at times. He also isn’t the strongest ball handler, so he won’t be able to create his own shot consistently.

Of the new players, this is the one that will start right away due to his athletic talent, but also largely due to a lack of positional competition.

The guy who might step in to backup 5th year senior sniper, Forte, is Lindy Waters III from Norman, OK. The off-guard stands at 6’6″, 185 and apparently has tremendous range already. He might be the most talented player on the second unit off the bench.

Personally, Waters is the freshman I am most interested in watching develop as a potential star guard in the Big 12.

The next recruit that could have an impact this season is JUCO center Tyrek Coger out of Cape Fear [NC] Community College. The 6’9″, 230 pound big man averaged 12.2 points and 7.0 boards for the Sea Devils.

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The Cowboys have a few decent options in the frontcourt returning, but Coger will have a chance to grab minutes if he can push those returnees in practice.

If McGriff, Waters, and Coger project as the three guys most likely to hit the hardwood early this season, then the second trio of the class are more likely building blocks for future years.

Two of the three are point guards and will compete for the honor of backing up potential All-Big 12 point Evans.

The first is 6’4″, 180 pound Thomas Dziagwa from Tampa, Florida. He has nice size for a ballhandler and was a superb shooter during high school. He averaged 22.5 points, 4.1 boards, 4.4 assists, and nearly two steals per game as a senior. Given that the Cowboys lost presumptive backup point Tyree Griffin to transfer, Dziagwa might be the favorite of the two based purely on measurables.

The big thing with freshman points, even on the second unit, is adjusting to the speed of the game in college.

Dziagwa’s primary competition is a player who followed Underwood from SFA to his current squad.

Brandon Averette, who hails from Richardson, Texas, is listed at just 5’10”, 155 pounds. He put up 22.6 points and six assists per night as a senior, but had almost no recruiting hype on any service. If I had to guess, it’s because he’s tiny and light.